Seed sower



Dec. 8, 1964 R. G. RUTHERFORD SEED SOWER Filed Jan. 21, 1963 FIGB IN VEN ro@ @as ER f @so/ree' Pun/5R Fam 3f HMM ,Qrromvers' United States Patent O 3,160,328 SEED SGWER Robert George Rutherford, Cheesemans Creek, Nyrang, New South Wales, Australia Filed Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,958 Claims priority, application Australia, Jan. 23, 1962, 13,590/62 7 Claims. (Cl. 222-196) This invention has been devised to provide a seed sower for attaching to an appropriate movable carrier (farming implement), such as a tractor-drawn or tractormounted cultivator. This seed sower will maintain an even ow of seed through an outlet or a number of outlets without the aid of mechanically actuated seed discharging apparatus.

It is known to provide a seed box having spring wires extending through seed outlets. The wires are of such length as is necessary to contact the ground over which the seed box is carried. This ground contact is for the purpose of vibrating the wires to cause seeds to fall through the seed outlets. With the-wires dragging on the ground, it is not practicable to accurately direct the seed into a furrow made by a tine as in the operation of sod seeding. The present invention overcomes this problem.

According to the invention the seed sower consists of a seed box adapted .to be mounted on the movable carrier. The seed box has a seed outlet in the bottom thereof. A pendulum-like agitator is suspended in the seed box with the weighted eind of the agitator located above the'seed outlet. A partition in the seed box, which is located above the weighted end of the agitator, has an opening therein through which the agitator passes. Means are provided for varying the size of the passage to the seed outlet.

The invention will be described with reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the seed sower.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view on the plane 2 2 of l FIGURE 1.

container provided with a lid 2 and a funnel-like seed outlet member 3 projecting downwardly from the seed box 1 and having an outlet opening 4 in the form of a delivery pipe therein. The member 3 islixed to the seed box 1 in any suitable manner. In addition, the seed box 1 has an agitator supporting member (cross-bar) 5 fixed therein from which is suspended an agitator 6,

vsaid' agitator 6 as shown being a coil spring having a weight 7 on its lower end located above the outlet 4, said agitator 6 passing through an opening 8 formed in a partition 9 formed integrally with said seed box 1.

The partition 9 is located above the weighted end of theV agitator 6.

Adjusting means for varying the size of the opening 8, consists of a slide 10 which is connected at one of its ends to the underside of the partition 9 by a screwed 3,160,328 Patented Dec. 8, 17964 ICCY tive -to suitable graduations 17vformed on the seed box 1. v

The slide 10 has an opening 18 therein which'corresponds to the opening 8 in the partition 9, and the agitator 6 passes through both openings 8, 18. The openings 8, 13 are substantially pear-shaped with their narrower ends located on opposite sides of their longitudinal axis, said narrower ends having a radius of curvature which is substantially equal to the radius of the agitator A6 (coil spring). As illustrated in FIGURE 3, when the slide 1i) is moved to outlet closed position, the agitator 6 is engaged between the narrower ends of the openings 8, 1S. By moving the slide 10 towards its other extreme position, the size of the passage through the openings 8, 18 around the agitator 6, is varied.

FIG. 4 shows a plurality of the aforedescribed seed sowers disposed in a row. A tine 20 is shown adjacent to the outlet end of the sower.

I claim:

1. A seed sower comprising a seed box adapted to be mounted on a movable carrier, said seed box having a seed outlet in the bottom thereof, a partition wall dividing said seed box into an upper and a lower compartment, the lower compartment including said outlet, said partition wall having anL opening therethrough for passage of seed from the upper compartment into the lower compartment, a swingablek agitator suspended at one end in the upper compartment and protruding with play through said opening into the lower compartment to permit a limited movement of the agitator within said opening, the end of the agitator protruding into the lower chamber being weighted and terminating spaced apart from said outlet, and regulating means for gradually varrying the size of the opening, said regulating means including a slide rotatably connected at one of its ends to the partition wall, said slide having an opening corresponding to the opening in said partition Wall through which the agitator passes, whereby movement of said slide varies the passage for the seed.

2. A seed sower according to claim 1, vwherein the seed box comprises a'cylindrical open-top container, a lid for closing the open top, said partition wall forming the bottom of the container to dene said upper chamber,

and a funnel-like member fixed outwardly of said bottom` and projecting downwardly thereof to define said lower chamber, the narrow end of the funnel-like member constituting said outlet.

3. A seed sower according to claim 2, wherein the funnel-like member terminates in a delivery pipe for discharging seed in juxtaposition to a tine.

4. A seed sower according to claim 1, wherein the agif tator comprises a coil spring suspended at its upper end a radius of curvature substantially equal to the peripheral References Cited by the Examiner outline of the` agitator. j Y Y y' 6. A seed sower according to claim 1, wherein the slide r f UNITED STATES PATENTS is connected at its said one end to the partition wall by Y 631430 6/67 Putnam 222*564 X a pivot pin and spring-tensioned nut and has its other 5 1,470,049 1.0/23" B'flrrows 222-518 X end a hand-grip projecting outwardly through a slotin 25121730' "3/43 Rmg 222-*230 the seed box located between the seed outlet and the par- 2,687,598 8/54 Calhoun f 222500 X tition wall. .Y

7. A seed sower according to claim l, wherein lthe LOUIS vJ. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

partition is concave in section. Y 10 

1. A SEED SOWER COMPRISING A SEED BOX ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON MOVABLE CARRIER, SAID SEED BOX HAVING A SEED OUTLET IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF, A PARTITION WALL DIVIDING SAID SEED BOX INTO AN UPPER AND LOWER COMPARTMENT, THE LOWER COMPARTMENT INCLUDING SAID OUTLET, SAID PARTITION WALL HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH FOR PASSAGE OF SEED FROM THE UPPER COMPARTMENT INTO THE LOWER COMPARTMENT, A SWINGABLE AGITATOR SUSPENDED AT ONE END IN THE UPPER COMPARTMENT AND PROTRUDING WITH PLAY THROUGH SAID OPENING INTO THE LOWER COMPARTMENT TO PERMIT A LIMITED MOVEMENT OF THE AGITATOR WITHIN SAID OPENING, THE END OF THE AGITATOR PROTRUDING INTO THE LOWER CHAMBER 